The Weak Link
by TheShinigamiXan
Summary: After Sith Lord Darth Greed survives an assault from his apprentice, he seeks vengeance on her, consumed by his hate and rage.


The Weak Link

Darth Greed awoke face down against an icy ground. As he opened his eyes, he tried to roll over. The side of his torso burned, and the agony was nearly unbearable. He forced himself onto his back and looked up. He assumed he had fallen down a gorge, judging by the thin strip of light that shone down between the rocky walls of the cavern. He glanced down at his side. A hole had been scorched into his black robes.

The events that unfolded hours ago came flooding back to him. He recalled the flurry of attacks from his apprentice's twin-bladed crimson saber. This form of attack had surprised him, as she typically favored using each of her lightsabers individually instead of conjoining them. She had attempted to strike his lekku, hoping to quickly deal a killing blow. Greed, a Twi'lek, had adjusted his fighting style to counteract his physiological weak point decades ago. She would have better luck trying to convert a Mandalorian to pacifism than to ever strike his lekku. He had parried each of her moves with ease, and was waiting for the right moment to strike back. Darth Void took a step back. She held her lightsaber sideways with neither blade pointed directly at him. Greed saw his chance. He called upon the dark side of the Force, using it to enhance his strength for a power attack. He would hit her blade with such strength that she would lose her grip on it and be disarmed. As he swung downward to meet her blade, Void smiled. She deactivated one of the blades of her lightsaber, the blade that Greed was about to strike. As Darth Greed saw what was happening, it was too late. He had put too much strength into that single attack, and could not recover in time for what was next. She spun around with incredible speed and thrust the still active blade into Greed's side. Greed pulled back, as he stared at her in shock. In that moment, he believed that she had killed him. His grip loosened on his lightsaber as it fell into the snow. She extended her arm, and pushed Greed back with the Force. Greed toppled backwards, falling into the gorge behind him.

She had not impaled him deep enough. All of his vital organs were intact, and his wound was fairly shallow. Darth Greed still lived. Greed gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the icy ground. He shouted in a mixture of fury and agony, sending out a shockwave in the Force. Thick cracks began to form in the rock walls on both sides of the chasm. The anguish he felt was being numbed by the rage he drew from it. He stood up.

Darth Greed knew one thing for a fact. He would find and kill Darth Void. If she had finished him, she may have been a worthy apprentice to carry the mantle of the Sith Master. However, for one reason or another, the true Dark Lord of the Sith still lived. If she spared him out of sentiment, she was an abomination to Sith philosophy, and thus must be destroyed. Compassion was repugnant to Greed. It was a trait resulting in nothing but weakness, and shackled all who embraced it. If Void had become a prisoner of compassion, then she was no better than the Jedi. If she could not sense that her master was still alive, then her Force capabilities were far too weak or underdeveloped for her to be a true Sith Lord. The Rule of Two was intended to create a chain of Sith Lords, requiring each link to be stronger than the last. If Void was that ignorant to the Force around her, then the Grand Plan would be set back by hundreds of years, if not entirely ruined by her ineptitude. Or if Darth Greed had somehow rejected merging with the Force through death, simply returning to the world of the living, as Sith Lords like Darth Sion had done thousands of years ago, it meant he was still far more powerful than Darth Void. His life was his apprentice's ultimate failure, and now she would pay the price.

Greed planted his foot on a protruding rock on the wall, and then reached into the fissure he had created. He gripped it tight and pulled himself upward. He moved his right foot to a higher ridge, then his left foot. He continued the upward climb, gripping the cracks tighter as the pain grew more intense. His side burned despite the rest of his body freezing.

Through the pain, he could feel his connection to the dark side of the Force growing stronger. The words of infinite wisdom found within the Sith Code came to his mind. "Peace is a lie," he muttered, thinking of how his apprentice failed to finish him. "There is only passion." He gripped another rock, coming closer and closer to the surface.

"Through passion, I gain strength," Greed said louder. He could feel his loathing for Void swelling in him. He began moving faster, yearning to reach Void sooner.

"Through strength, I gain power." He looked down into the deep chasm he had been trapped in just moments ago. He had perhaps just been on the brink of death mere minutes ago, and now felt stronger and closer to the dark side than he ever had in his life.

"Through power, I gain victory!" Darth Greed grasped the edge of the ravine. His hand almost slipped against the icy surface, but he held his grip. He pulled himself up and stood atop the surface.

"Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." He proceeded forward and looked to the ground. His lightsaber was gone. Void must have taken it as a trophy. _It matters not. I'll kill her with my bare hands if I must._

Rhen Var was not a pleasant world. Its climate was harsh, with extremely low temperatures that could easily kill any ill-prepared traveler. Darth Greed was no stranger to harsh temperatures, though his injury made the journey more difficult. Greed was glad. It had been a long time since he had felt serious pain and discomfort. His comfort had made him weaker and separated him from his true potential. It was only now after his near-death experience that he could draw such immense power from the dark side of the Force. His body was a conduit for the dark side, and he would eventually release all of this power upon his former apprentice. She would most certainly die, but not before Greed made her suffer for her inability to succeed him.

He reached out with the Force and tried to sense her location. She was still on the planet. In fact, she was at their former base of operations. _She's likely collecting her things, as well as some of mine._ He thought of the holocron they had discovered together, and how she would waste that knowledge he sought after for so long. In the right hands, that holocron was a treasure trove full of information about utilizing the dark side to one's advantage. In the wrong hands, however- in Void's hands, the holocron was worthless. _I have to intercept her before she reaches our ship._

Greed sensed something else as well, something close by. Two beings were quickly approaching him. He instinctually placed his hand where his lightsaber normally rested. Remembering he wasn't armed, he stood up straight and waited to see whatever was approaching him. Judging by the two lights and the speed at which it was coming toward him, he assumed it was a speeder, though it was difficult to see through the snowstorm. It gradually came to a halt, and the lights turned off.

"Sir, are you alright?" a female voice called out. It wasn't Void. Greed stepped closer to see her. The woman speaking to him was a togruta wearing a thick coat with the hood up. She stepped out of the speeder and walked quickly toward him.

The driver of the speeder followed close behind her. He was a brown Zabrak with short horns, wearing goggles and a fur coat. "You must be freezing," he said as he examined Greed.

"Who are you?" Greed asked sternly.

"Never mind us," the Zabrak said. "You'll freeze out here. Come with us. We'll get you to shelter. You'll get frostbite out here with just those robes."

"Tell me who you are," Greed said, using to Force to dominate the Zabrak's mind. He had no patience for him, and no time to linger on his contempt for the Zabrak's benevolence.

"I'm Raos. This is Cilis. We're archaeologists," he said, his mind bending under Greed's will.

Darth Greed turned to Cilis. "Tell me, are you alone on this expedition?"

"Yes," she replied. Their desire to save him diminished under his influence. "We are alone."

"So, nobody will be expecting you anytime soon?"

"No."

He turned to face Raos. "You will give me your speeder."

"Of… of course," he said. "It's all yours."

Greed walked toward the speeder. He stopped halfway between the two archaeologists and the speeder. "One more thing," he said without turning to face them. "Kill yourselves."

There was a pause. None of them moved for several seconds. Then, Raos and Cilis walked in unison toward the ravine Greed had emerged from. Greed got into the speeder. He watched out of the corner of his eye, making sure that they jumped to their deaths. When he saw them dive headfirst into the gorge, he left without a second thought.

Darth Greed was quickly approaching his ship, _The Tendril_. He could sense that his former apprentice was also nearing the ship. At the rate they were going, he realized that she would arrive at the ship just before he did. He had to hurry in order to ensure that she would not leave the planet. She could not be allowed to carry the Sith legacy or his holocron off of Rhen Var.

 _The Tendril_ was out in the open. They had not landed it in any sort of docking bay. The last thing the Sith wanted to do was attract attention to themselves. The ship rested in a flat area, with no nearby civilizations or outposts.

The snowstorm had died down. Greed could see the ship in the distance. He sped toward it as fast as he could. Darth Void was just outside the ship, waiting for the ramp to descend. She was not alone either. She faced another human woman in a robe. Greed nearly panicked when he first saw her. He thought that she might in fact be a Jedi and that Void had somehow sold him out to the Republic, throwing the Sith's centuries of struggle, preparation, and scheming into the wind. As he drew closer, though, Greed could sense that this being was fairly weak in the Force. She was definitely Force-sensitive, but not strong enough to be a trained Jedi. When Greed realized that Void had already chosen her own apprentice, his fury grew stronger than ever.

Darth Void turned and saw the speeder as it was drawing near. Greed, empowered by his rage, jumped out of the moving speeder. Just before he reached the apex of his jump, he reached out with the Force, and pulled her twin lightsabers toward him. His jump sent him flying over her. When he landed, he activated both sabers. As he turned to strike her with both blades, she blocked them with another lightsaber. _His_ lightsaber.

Void was clearly shaken by what had just happen. She had to look into Greed's face for several seconds before even realizing who he was. "How?" was all she could manage to ask after recognizing her master.

Greed pulled back and unleashed a flurry of attacks with her lightsabers. Void struggled to keep up with his onslaught. Her newly chosen apprentice did nothing, watching their rematch in silence. Greed barely even noticed her. He was too fixated on his hatred for Void.

Void eventually tried to gain an offensive advantage. She jumped backwards against the hull of _The Tendril_ to gain distance. Then, she immediately launched herself back at Greed. She raised her lightsaber above her head, intending to strike downward. Greed swung one of his sabers to parry, moving her blade to the side. Then, he used his second blade to cut her lightsaber hilt in half, in addition to severing a portion of her hand.

She fell to the ground and screamed in pain. He had incinerated three of her fingers on her right hand. Darth Greed smiled and hooked her lightsabers onto his belt. "We're not finished yet," he growled. He reached down and grabbed her by the neck. He lifted her high into the air. In a desperate effort to stop him, Darth Void extended her uninjured left hand. Force lightning extended from her fingertips, striking Greed's chest and shoulders. As the lightning scorched his flesh, his grip around her neck tightened. He pulled her back and threw her against _The Tendril_. The lightning stopped as her body slammed against the ship's hull. As she fell to the ground, her master caught her with the Force. Greed pulled her back toward him and activated one of the lightsabers. As she flew toward him, he swung the saber down, severing her left arm at the shoulder.

She was lying on the ground beneath him, broken and beaten. She gritted her teeth, trying not to give her former master the satisfaction of hearing her scream. "Go ahead," she spat. "Finish it."

Greed scowled. "You're not getting off that easy," he hissed. He held both of her sabers in his hand and examined them. He snickered. "I remember when you first constructed these. Do you remember? You told me you named them. I considered punishing you then and there for showing sentimentality. But then you explained to me what and why you had named them. You called them The Fury and The Fate. The Fury was to remind you of the dark side. It was a reminder of the core emotions and power that the Sith gain strength from. The Fate was intended to reassure you that the Sith were destined to succeed. The galaxy will inevitably tremble and bow before the Sith once we return. It is our destiny. So much for your part in that." Greed held the lightsabers in the air with the Force. Then, he separated all of the components, completely deconstructing them with his mind. With a wave of his hand, all of the pieces were scattered and thrown into the wind.

"My lightsabers…" Void murmured.

"When you explained their names to me, I felt proud of you. I thought that you were destined for greatness. I believed that you truly understood our cause and could elevate the Sith to greater heights. It seems that we were both wrong. Now, it would seem that your fate is my fury." He extended his arm once more. Void's body went rigid and her three remaining limbs were all stretched outwards. Greed began to tighten his fingers. Void screamed. "Do you feel that?" he asked. "That is the feeling of your ribs shattering. Many of them have likely pierced your lungs at this point."

"Just… just finish me," she said between heavy, desperate breaths.

"You have not suffered enough for wasting years of my life that I could have used training an apprentice who was actually worth something." Greed stepped on one of her legs. "Let's see what will hurt worse. Will it be me breaking your leg, or you trying to scream through punctured lungs?"

He grabbed her ankle and violently pulled it back until there was an audible _snap_. Void shrieked. She was breathing faster now, and Greed could see tears streaming down her face. He smiled. "You probably don't have much time left now," he said. "You will suffocate soon, though I intend to make your torment last." He clenched his fist, tightening his grip around her crushed ribs.

Void managed to sit up slightly. "If the apprentice is a failure… who is truly at fault? Is… it the apprentice… or her master?"

Greed kicked her across the face. He was done toying with her. He put his foot against her throat and held her against the icy ground. She struggled as much as she could for a few seconds, painfully gasped one final time, and finally went limp. Void was dead.

He held his foot against her throat for another minute before finally turning to the girl Void chose to be her apprentice. She still stared at him in awe and terror. As he approached her, she fell on her knees before him.

"Please," she begged. "Have merc-"

Greed waved his hand suddenly. Her neck twisted to the side. There was a satisfying _snap_ , and her lifeless body fell over. Greed scowled. If she had tried to face him, or perhaps expressed some form of rage toward him, he would have considered taking her as his new apprentice. But she chose to beg for mercy instead, showing the weakness that Darth Greed so passionately despised.

Greed looked back at Void's corpse. A smile crept onto his face. He had proven himself to be stronger. He took pride in his victory over her. He had managed to narrowly avoid death before coming back and killing his unworthy apprentice.

He scowled as the intense pain from the wound in his side returned. Greed nearly fell over, but managed to catch himself. He could feel burning from where Void's Force lightning had struck him as well. The dark side had numbed him during the peak of his rage, but that was subsiding now. It had been a temporary fix for a more permanent issue. He laid down on the ramp to _The Tendril_ , catching his breath. After several agonizing minutes, he stood back up. He was a bit shaky, but managed to hold his balance well enough.

Darth Greed stumbled over to Void's body and dragged it to his ship. _I'd rather be safe than sorry. The less evidence I leave behind, the less likely the Sith will be rediscovered._ It was incredibly unlikely that anybody would find the bodies on a planet as desolate as Rhen Var, and even less likely that any major or definitive conclusions could be drawn from the evidence that was there, but Greed wasn't about to push his luck. He brought Void and her would-be apprentice into _The Tendril_ 's cargo hold. _I'll get to an unpopulated system and send them out the airlock._

Greed staggered over to the cockpit. He sat in a chair for several minutes before setting a course in the navi-computer. He wasn't sure where to start looking for a new apprentice, and he almost didn't care. For now, he just wanted to get off Rhen Var. He was done with this planet. He was done with Void. He was ready to move forward as soon as possible. _First, I should probably focus on crafting a new lightsaber._ He set a course for an unnamed planet in the Unknown Regions where Void had found the kyber crystals for her lightsabers. He reluctantly plotted the course to that world, and took off.


End file.
